Did the Sahaba differ in ‘Aqīdah

Question:

I came across an audio belonging to some people saying that some affairs of ‘Aqīdah doesn’t necessitate any distancing between the people, as the companions differed on wether the Prophet ﷺ saw his Lord or not.

Similarly in the battle of ‘Sifeen’ and ‘Al-Jamel’, and they didn’t split up over this.

What’s your reply to this speech?

Answer:

The statement that the Companions differed in affairs of ‘Aqīdah is a lie upon them, and those that propagate this lie, intend with this affairs such as:

➖Opening the door to the spacious all-inclusive methodology of Muwazināt.

➖Dismantling the subject of: disparaging the people of desires and innovation.

➖Tamyee‘ (watering down) of the Allegiance and Disallegience in regards to the foundations of the beliefs of Ahlussunnah; using as proof that the Companions differed in ‘Aqīdah.

The end result being: turning a blind eye to the misguidance of the misguided, those that strayed away from the right guidance, in regards to those that attribute themselves to the Salafi Methodology.

This statement would necessitate that Allah and His Prophet ﷺ directed to splitting and differing in the (commandment) of following the ‘Aqīdah and methodology of the companions.

While the legislated texts have mentioned that agreement and coming together is by following their way and their methodology, like it comes in the Hadīth of splitting and other than it, how would this directing be if it was to a people who differed in the foundations of their religion?!

And Allah, the Most High, said:

(فَإِنْ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِمِثْلِ مَآ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ فَقَدِ ٱهْتَدَوا۟ ۖ وَّإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِى شِقَاق)

“So if they believe in the like of that which you believe, then they are rightly guided, but if they turn away, then they are only in opposition.”
[Al-Baqarah:137]

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

(فعليكم بسنتي وسنة الخلفاء الراشدين المهديين، عضوا عليها بالنواجذ، وإياكم ومحدثات الأمور)

“So hold fast to my Sunnah and the examples of the Rightly- Guided Caliphs who will come after me. Adhere to them and hold to it fast. Beware of new things (in Deen).”

And in Sahih Muslim is that the Prophet ﷺ said:

(وأصحابي أمنة لأمتي فإذا ذهب أصحابي أتى أمتي ما يوعدون)

“my Companions are a source of security for the Ummah and as they would go there would fall to the lot of my Ummah what has been promised.”

And Ibn Mas’ūd, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

“They are the Companions of Muhammed ﷺ they were by Allaah, the best of this nation and the most righteous of heart, and had the most indepth of knowledge, and were the least of them in blameworthy burdening of oneself.

A people who have been chosen by Allaah to accompany His Prophet and to establish His Religion.

So testify to them their virtue, and follow their way, and hold on to their manners and religion, as much as you’re able to, for verily they were rightly guided.”
[End of speech]

And Shaykh-Ul-Islām, may Allah have mercy upon him said:

“What’s intended is that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, never fought due to differing on a principle from the principles of Islām, at all, and they haven’t differed in any Islamic principle, nor about the attributes, nor about the predecree, nor in the affairs of names and titles and rulings, nor about the subject of leadership, they haven’t differed in this through disputing with speech, let alone by fighting with swords, rather they would affirm the attributes of Allah which He informed us about Himself, and negate it’s resemblance with that of the creation.”
[End of speech]

And the ‘Allāmah An-Najmi, may Allah have mercy upon him, has a lengthy article on the invalidity of this lie alongside it’s evidences, where he refuted some of those that mentioned this statement, from it is:

“..whoever says that the Companions differed in ‘Aqīdah let him support his speech with evidences, if he can’t do this then he is a liar, a fabricator, for verily it is not known that anyone said that the Companions differed in ‘Aqīdah, beside this liar… and he added deception and misguidance to his lie, meaning with this that he encourages differing and calls towards it, and he uses as evidence that the Companions differed in ‘Aqīdah so as to divert Ahlussunnah wal Jamā’ah from the truth towards falsehood… and the intent of this lying fabricator is paving the way for the differing of the bigoted and partisan (Hizbiyyah), and he affirmed upon himself that he is a Hizbi, and he didn’t do no justice to the Hizbis, rather he added a lie to their other lies.

And success is with Allaah”
[End of speech from Al-Fatāwal Jaliyyah ‘an Mahāhij Ad-Da’wiyyah]

As for what these people surrounding this doubt use as evidence, that differing occurred between the Companions regarding the seeing of Allah by the Prophet ﷺ, then this is not correct, what they thought was the case regarding what was narrated from the Companions, in fact doesn’t contain differing.

Those that affirm sight, like Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, intended the sight of the heart.

Those that rejected it, like ‘Aaisha, may Allah be pleased with her, rebuked the sight of the eyes.

This clarifies that there wasn’t any differing.
And this is what the Imāms of the religion established.

And I mentioned a lot of the speech of the people of knowledge in my refutation of the Hizbi Ferkous, who implemented this innovated principle to establish the methodology of Muwazināt and used the subject ‘the seeing’ as a proof and other than it.

And I have nullified – and all praise is to Allah – his doubt from its roots, in my book (Bayān Ad-Dalīl).

And a number of Imaams relayed the consensus of the Companions on the Prophet ﷺ not seeing his Lord on the night of the ascent.

Imām Ibn Ul-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

” ‘Uthmān bin Sa’īd Ad-Dārimi, in his book “Kitāb Ar-Rad” conveyed the consensus of the Companions upon that he ﷺ didn’t see his Lord on the night of ascension, and some of them excluded Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, from this.

But our shaykh [i.e Ibn Taymiyyah] said:

“There is no differing in reality, for verily Ibn ‘Abbas didn’t say he saw him with the eyes of his head.” “

[End of speech from “Ijtimā’l Jiyūsh Al-Islāmiyyah” p48]

As for what has taken place of fighting between ‘Ali and Mu’āwiyah and what took place at the incident of the ‘Jamel‘; then the fighting was not due to leadership, and they did not differ in this with speech, let alone by fighting with swords, as previously mentioned by Shaykh-ul-Islām.
The fighting occurred due to permissible interpretation in regards to obedience to someone who is not the ruler, it didn’t occur due to a legislative principle from the principles of Islām, for it to be said that they differed in affair of ‘Aqīdah.

Shaykh-Ul-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned in “Manhāj As-Sunnah” (6/339):

“As for the fighting which was between Talha & Zubair and ‘Ali; then each one from amongst them was defending himself thinking that he was pushing the attack of the other away.

And ‘Ali didn’t have a goal in fighting them nor did they have a goal in fighting him, rather they, before ‘Ali arrived, were requesting those that killed ‘Uthmān, and the killers had tribes that were defending them, and thus were incapable to get to them, so when ‘Ali arrived, they informed him what their intent was, and he informed them that this was his intent also; but that this will not be possible until the situation is controlled; when the killers came to the knowledge of this, they attacked one army and the other army thought that the other started the battle, so the fighting took place through the intent of the people of fitnah, not that of the Sabiqūn al-Awwalūn.“
[End of speech]

Answered by:
Shaykh Abu Hatim Yusuf Al-‘Inaabi Al-Jazaa’iree – may Allaah preserve him.

Source:
t.me/abouhatem/162

Answered on:
8th, Rabee’ Al-Awwal, 1438H

Translated by:
Abu ‘Abdirrahman ‘Abdullaah bin Ahmed Ash-Shingaani